Step 1: Cleanse

"Use gentle circular movements," directs Amlani. "Always work upwards and against gravity. Otherwise you're going to encourage sagging in the skin. Keep the pressure very gentle, never too hard."

Wash off the cleanser after a few minutes and pat dry the skin with a soft towel. "Never rub," she instructs.

Step 2: Exfoliate

The texture of the exfoliant or scrub you use will depend entirely on your skin type.

"Go for creamier, less abrasive scrubs if you have dry or sensitive skin, try a more granular scrub if you have oily, combination skin, or one that's prone to blackheads," says Amlani.

If your skin is affected by acne, stay far away from abrasive exfoliants, Amlani warns. "You will risk bursting them and spreading the infection to other areas of the face." Your best bet is a cream or powder-based scrub.

Avoid scrubbing completely around the delicate eye area.

When done, Amlani recommends you thoroughly wash off all the granules with tepid water. The temperature of the water is particularly important: "Never use too hot or too cold water," she explains. "Extremes of temperature will sensitise the skin. Blood vessels will either dilate too quickly or contract and that will irritate the skin. Skin has to be at room temperature."

Step 3: Mask

Oily skin types should look for a clay-based mask while dry and normal skin types can work with a cream – or gel-based mask. If you prefer something more organic, Amlani has a couple of basic kitchen recipes — honey, yoghurt and avocado for dry skin, or honey, milk or yoghurt and multani mitti for oily, breakout prone skin.

You can tweak the recipes by adding a mixture of fruits, but "avoid using lemon juice directly on the skin," she says, "it tends to strip [off your skin's oils and moisture]."

Step 4: Massage

Use a gentle circular massaging motion, as you would when cleansing, always directed upward to work the mask into your skin.

You can either continue massaging the skin for 5 full minutes and wash off, or, if you're after a more relaxing experience, massage for five minutes and then let the mask settle in for another 10.

Wash it off and pat dry the skin.

Step 5: Moisturise

Spritz on a face mist or toner as the second last step. When choosing a toner, pick one that is "hydrating, not astringent," advises Amlani. "Use one that is not alcohol-based."

Lastly, layer on a moisturiser designed for your skin type; one richer in texture for dry skin, or a formula with oil-absorbing ingredients in it if your skin turns slick easily.

If you do the facial in the evening, a night moisturiser should suffice, says Amlani, but if you do it in the day, apply a moisturiser with SPF properties or use a combination of a hydrating cream and sunscreen.

"It's generally preferable that you use a moisturizer with physical sunscreen properties (Titanium dioxide or Zinc oxide are the UV filters) rather than chemical sunscreens," she says. "Physical sunscreen will reflect all harmful UV rays while chemical sunscreens tend to absorb them."